By now you’re probably weary with this election and annoyed at those of us on the other side of the world telling you how to vote, but this is a world defining election. What you do today, how you vote, affects us all, so please consider your vote carefully.

Photo credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

A lot of people really dislike her and yes Clinton is a career politician so she comes with baggage… Yes, she’s a part of the establishment, and yes, she’s unlikely to change that establishment BUT neither will Trump, no matter how loudly he blusters he will. Neither would have Bernie by the way, because it’s a deeply entrenched system.

Presidents have limited powers.

According to Wikipedia the Constitution explicitly assigns to the president the power to sign or veto legislation, command the armed forces, ask for the written opinion of his or her Cabinet, convene or adjourn Congress, grant reprieves and pardons, and receive ambassadors.

Trump can’t keep his promises (even if he wants to)

Fact is, neither Trump nor Bernie could have done what they promise. It’s just not within the powers of the President to do so. They would both have been as ineffective as Obama (which is sad because he came to the office with so much promise).

I know things are tough but, and trust me on this, presidents don’t really impact the economy as much as most people think they do.

The economy will do what it is going to do. Governments cannot compete with the weight of money behind an economy as large as the U.S. They can speed it up or slow it down a bit but it will go up and down at its own will. So whatever you think HE might do to help the economy he can’t, no more than she can do to hurt it.

Government is about the transference of money – from those who generate it (the middle classes), either upwards to those who want it – the rich, or downwards to those who need it – the poor.

Trump will negatively impact the economy

Good government keeps the ideal balance. Favour the rich too much and you get a disaffected and unmotivated workforce. Favour the workers too much and the economy becomes uncompetitive (if you rely on a manufacturing and agrarian base as the U.S. does).

The tragedy of Obama’s Presidency is that he did little to stem the enormous upward transfer of wealth set up by his predecessor (Bush) & maintained by a Republican Congress. Universal health care, a benefit enjoyed by just about every economically advanced democracy on the planet except the U.S. was his best attempt.

So Trump cannot and will not “fix” the economy because he can’t. His policies, at best, will accelerate the transfer of wealth from the middle classes to the rich.

Trickle down doesn’t work

His proposed tax cuts for business will not and have never produced the type of turn around he thinks they will and is shouting from the roof tops – it’s a sort of odd trickle down approach and it doesn’t work. Why? Because business is not about unnecessarily employing people, it’s about matching supply to demand and maximizing profit. So tax breaks do not create demand because any surplus profit is simply channeled to shareholders.

He can and does appoint the head of the Federal Reserve and they can manipulate monetary policy but there is nowhere for them to move so that won’t help either.

No wall, no effective policy

And building a wall, forcing companies keep manufacturing in the U.S., not paying China interest on loans, stopping any particular sort of person coming into the country and so on just aren’t within his executive powers. Any laws would need the approval of congress to do that.

So all that stuff he says he will do, he can’t do. Simple. So that completely negates and positive reason to vote for him. Please be clear, no matter how loud he shouts he cannot and will not be able to carry out his promises. Period, full stop.

But he can start a war

But here’s what he can do…. Direct the armed forces…. Start a war.

And with a skin as thin as his why would you believe he wouldn’t? He’ll have nuclear powered aircraft carriers heading at 40 knots to anyone who upsets him.

And if you’re a red neck shouting “USA, USA, USA”, that has some appeal until you realise it’s not his children who will be sent to fight that war, it’s yours. Or you. It is the blood of the poor of American that is left on foreign shores.

And that billion dollars a day it was costing in Iran at the peak of the war? That money, taken from your taxes, is now lining the pockets of Halliburton, Lockheed and other defense Tsars and shareholders. No trickle down, no boost to the economy, just hundreds of thousands of deaths, the worst geopolitical climate we’ve seen for 50 years and a deficit that is mind boggling.

We have anxiety too

And this is why the rest of the world and people like me are interfering in your election. Why we have election anxiety too.

Because Trump is mad. You can see that can’t you? Ok, mad might be too strong a word but he has been at the head of his own empire for too long. It’s been a long time since anyone told him he was wrong or should listen to another opinion. He’s never had to face an electorate or a falling poll number that warrants attention. He is too close to his own opinion and that’s dangerous for a politician.

So go ahead and hate Hillary. But vote for her.

Remember she can’t do anything that Trump can’t do and I genuinely believe she is motivated by the things she says she is. Why? Because she’s a politician.

Even if she isn’t a great President she won’t do too much harm

Yes, she will line her own pockets (so will Trump, far worse I would suggest), yes, she will be influenced by pressure groups (so will he) but in four years time we will still have the planet which is not guaranteed if you elect Trump. And by then Trump will be too old to stand again, and hopefully the Republicans can get their act together and stand a decent candidate.

Paid for by Peter for no-one in particular but certainly not Trump!

It is worthwhile to mention that I have a pecuniary interest in Hillary winning. When she does Fletcher Potanin will owe me a lobster dinner and I do like my lobster.

Share this entry

http://www.peterspann.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/hillary-clinton-2016.jpg400600Peter Spannhttp://www.peterspann.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Peter-Spann-Text-Logo-Black-300x68.pngPeter Spann2016-11-08 01:30:542017-12-20 22:52:37American friends – you should vote for Hillary even if you hate her.